Megalithic Temples of Malta
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How it came to be
Seven megalithic temples built in the 4th and 3rd millennia BC stand on Malta and Gozo. The two temples of Ġgantija on Gozo belong to the Ġgantija phase, which began around 3600 BC, and Malta has Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien and others. They share a plan: an oval forecourt, a south- or southeast-facing façade of large upright slabs, a trilithon entrance and paired D-shaped chambers.
The southern temple at Mnajdra is aligned so that sunrise at the solstices lights decorated slabs inside, and at the equinoxes passes through the main doorway to the innermost niche. The temple-building culture disappeared after the Tarxien phase, which ended around 2500 BC.
Ġgantija was cleared of debris in 1827, and the soil and remains taken out were lost without being examined. Tarxien was seriously excavated in the early 20th century, and Temi Żammit dug Ta' Ħaġrat from 1925 to 1927. Ġgantija was inscribed in 1980, and five more temple sites were later added under the present name.
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